


Could This Be Something Good?

by Sassywrites77



Series: Naruto Rare Pair Week [4]
Category: Naruto, Naruto Shippuden
Genre: Cop Ibiki, Fluff, M/M, Self-Esteem Issues, Soulmate AU, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, talk of foster system
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:21:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24041269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sassywrites77/pseuds/Sassywrites77
Summary: Ibiki is a cop, and Iruka is, of course, a teacher.  They meet when Iruka reports a break-in. Things happen, and they discover they are soulmates.  In this AU, soulmates leave a handprint where they touch each other.
Relationships: Morino Ibiki/Umino Iruka
Series: Naruto Rare Pair Week [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1731169
Comments: 10
Kudos: 35





	Could This Be Something Good?

**Author's Note:**

> Day 4 prompt, Soulmate AU, for Naruto Rare Pair Week. I just like the idea of Ibiki, who seems so tough and hard, and Iruka, who seems mostly like a sweet softy (except when disciplining kids), being a couple. I totally feel like Ibiki has a soft spot for someone like Iruka. More Notes at the end.

Iruka opened the door to his apartment and took in the broad chest in front of him before looking up into the scarred face of the man who had knocked on his door. Having a facial scar of his own, he made sure to move his gaze to meet the other man’s. 

  
“Um...hi?” he said, unsure of what had brought the tall man to his door.

“Mr. Umino?” the man responded in a raspy voice.

“Yes?”

“You called about a break-in?”

“Oh, oh yes. I did,” he paused to look back toward his sofa, dropping his voice a bit before continuing, “I’m very sorry for any inconvenience I may have caused. There wasn’t an actual break-in. You see, a student of mine who lives in the neighborhood,” he stopped pointing toward his sofa.

“I had told him if he ever needed me, to feel free to come to my home. Apparently,” Iruka added, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, “I should have specified that I meant when I was home. When I saw my door ajar, I assumed someone had broken in and called the cops. When I discovered Naruto, he was upset, and I completely forgot that I had called.”

The officer’s eyebrows had continued to raise higher as Iruka rambled on about the situation. They had almost disappeared under his policeman’s cap which Iruka now noticed. He rolled his eyes internally at himself for forgetting he had called the police.

“Again, I’m very sorry-”

“Is the boy okay?” the officer asked, interrupting Iruka’s apology.

“Uh, yes. He…” Iruka paused, unsure how much he should share with the officer. He didn’t want to cause problems, but then again Naruto had been extremely upset. Having made his decision he continued, “He ran away from his foster home. He loves animals, and finding a lizard on his way home from school, he took home. Unfortunately, his new pet escaped causing chaos and his foster parents captured the lizard and threw it out of the house. Then they sent Naruto to his room without dinner. He escaped out his bedroom window and came here.” 

Iruka sighed as he glanced toward the sofa again checking to see that the boy was still asleep. He glanced back to the man and caught the shocked look on his face. Thinking the officer thought Iruka wasn’t going to take Naruto back home, he added, “I’m going to take him back home. I...he fell asleep, but I was about to take him home when you knocked on the door.”

The officer waved his hand at Iruka. “Don’t disturb him. Sounds like he has had a rough evening. If you give me the foster parents’ name and address, I’ll go by and let them know the boy is safe.”

“Really?” Iruka asked, shocked at the officer’s response.

The man sighed but nodded. “Yes. It will probably cause me more work, but I know people who have been through the system. This seems like a tamer case that others, but if the boy is safe here with you, I’m deciding to leave him here.”

Iruka let out a relieved sigh. “Thank you so much, officer. Let me get you the information you need. Oh, please come in. I’m so sorry I haven’t already invited you in.”

The officer’s lips tipped up at the corners a bit as he stepped inside and closed the door softly behind him. He stood just inside the apartment as Iruka went to the desk in the corner of the living room to get a piece of paper and jot down the foster parents’ information. Iruka returned a few moments later, handing over the paper to the officer.

“Here you go, Officer...um, I’m sorry I didn’t get your name.”

The man took the paper, folded it and slipped it into his pants’ pocket. He then pulled a card out of the pocket on his uniform shirt and handed it to Iruka. “Morino,” he said as he handed it over.

Iruka took the card, looking at it briefly. “Thank you, Officer Morino...for understanding and helping. Not everyone would be as gracious I’m sure,” Iruka said, a bright smile lighting his face up. “Let me get the door for you,” he added as he stepped around the tall man and reached for the door knob and opened the door.

Officer Morino stepped just outside the door and turned to face Iruka. “My direct line is on there. If you have any trouble with the parents’ let me know.”

“Of course. Thank you- oof!”

Iruka was interrupted as a small blonde bundle of energy attacked his legs from behind, Naruto’s arms wrapping around his legs and setting him off balance. Iruka stumbled forward, his hands landing on the very broad chest of a very surprised Officer Morino who reacted quickly, his hands grasping Iruka’s elbows and keeping him from face planting into the officer’s chest.

Iruka could swear his hands were tingling as well as his elbows where the other man had grabbed him. He shook his head thinking it was his imagination and tried to steady himself with Naruto still wrapped around his legs. As soon as Iruka was back on his feet and seemed no longer in danger of falling, both men quickly removed their hands from each other.

Iruka pulled Naruto off his legs, scruffing the boy's hair as he looked up to apologize for what seemed the tenth time to Officer Morino. The bulkier man waved his hand dismissively at Iruka's apologies and ruffled Naruto's hair affectionately, surprising Iruka.

"Take care, both of you," he said before turning and making his way down the sidewalk and to his car. Iruka closed the door and turned back to Naruto thinking to himself what a nice man he turned out to be. 

Finally, after two stories and a glass of water, Iruka got Naruto to settle back down on the couch to sleep. He smiled softly down at the boy, ruffling his hair before moving toward the hallway and switching off lights as he went. He decided to leave the hall light on just in case Naruto woke up in the middle of the night.

He began unbuttoning his shirt as he made his way down the hall, pulling the shirt off and throwing it into the laundry hamper as he stepped into his bedroom. He stopped by his dresser to pull a pair of pajamas out and carry with him to the bathroom. He went about his nightly bedtime routine, brushing his teeth and washing his face, stopping abruptly when he caught a glimpse of his arms in the mirror as he was drying his face.

On his elbows and the surrounding area where Officer Morino’s hands had touched him, there was a handprint. Iruka’s first response was to rub at what looked like a pink stain, but nothing happened other than the pink color turning darker as he irritated the skin. He noticed the skin where the handprint was felt warmer to the touch than the rest of his skin. Of course, he had heard of the soulmate mark, that when your soulmate touched you their handprint would be left on your skin. However, given how his life had been he never expected to have a soulmate. Losing his parents at a young age, being shifted through foster care until he was eighteen, then being betrayed by someone he had thought was a close friend, it just didn’t seem like a soulmate was in the cards for him.

Yet here he was standing there looking at the proof on his arms. He huffed out a laugh thinking how funny it was that his soulmate would be the large, handsome man who had arrived at his door tonight. They probably would have never met if it weren’t for Naruto. Iruka shook his head, looking once more in the mirror at the marks on his arms before turning to get changed into his pajamas.

He was tired, and there wasn’t anything he could do about it tonight. He was pretty sure he would seek the man out though. He did have his number after all. And, he thought, as he settled under the covers, the other man should have his own set of handprints right on his broad, muscular chest. Iruka huffed at himself, turning over and shutting his eyes, willing himself to sleep instead of thinking thoughts like that.

*************************************************************************************

Ibiki sighed heavily as he let himself into his house at the end of his shift. He had tracked down Naruto’s foster parents, and quite frankly he hoped there was some way the teacher could keep Naruto from going back. They didn’t even know Naruto was gone and acted as though they were relieved he wasn’t coming back tonight. Ibiki clenched his fists at his sides as he traipsed tiredly upstairs to his bedroom. He abhorred people like them.

Ibiki entered his bedroom, flicking the bedside lamp on before going into the bathroom to shower before bed. He switched the bathroom light on and started undressing, throwing his clothes on the floor for now to be put in the laundry basket later. As he pulled his undershirt up, he caught a glimpse of his chest in the mirror over the sink. Ripping his shirt over his head, his eyes widened as he took in the two handprints that marked his chest.

He brought his own hands up to touch the marks, his fingertips ghosting over them at first not believing what he was seeing. He looked down as he touched one of the handprints, surprised that the skin felt warm under his fingers. He remembered feeling a slight tingle with the teacher had fallen into him but didn’t think anything of it at the time.

Could it be that the cute teacher was his soulmate? Wait what, cute? Ibiki glared at himself in the mirror, shaking his head at his thoughts. He turned from the mirror and turned on the shower, stepping in as soon as the water felt warm enough. He found himself several times throughout his shower finding his hands caressing over the handprints on his chest, one time even comparing the size to his own hands.

He growled to himself as he shut the shower off, getting out to towel off. Would that seemingly kind-hearted teacher even want to be soulmates with someone like him? He had heard of soulmates choosing to stay apart. He wouldn’t blame the teacher if that was what he wanted. Ibiki knew his appearance could be scary to some, and he had used that scariness at an earlier time in his life.

He sighed as he crawled into bed. Maybe he would just leave it up to the teacher to decide; he had left his contact information with the other man. And by this time, he was sure Iruka had seen the handprints Ibiki had left when he caught him. He rubbed his hand across the marks on his chest once more before turning over and trying to go to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> So I kind of just left this hanging because I feel like there is more to the story, but I wanted to end it for now. I hope to come back to this and add to it, maybe a series or at least a few more parts. Also, Naruto is closer to 9 or 10 in this story rather than 12 like when the series started. Iruka is early 20s and Ibiki is early 30s.


End file.
